General Questions for the Professionals

1. How will you evaluate my child to determine if he or she has a problem?
2. How do you put children at ease and help them understand why they are being evaluated?
3. Will the parents be involved in the evaluation process? If yes, how? If no, why?
4. If there is a problem, how will you determine the extent of the problem?
5. How much time will your basic evaluation be?
6. How much will your evaluation cost?
7. After the basic assessment, will further evaluation be necessary, and, if so, how much time will be involved, and how much will it cost?
8. In cases of financial hardship, are fees negotiable?
9. Are your services covered by insurance, and, if so with whom?
10. Will we have a follow-up conference to discuss your findings; how soon after the evaluation does this usually occur?
11. Will my child be included in the follow-up conference? If so, how?
12. Will we receive a written report; how long does it usually take to receive the report?
13. At the conference and in the written report, will you offer specific suggestions about how to solve (or alleviate) the problem?
14. How would you describe your professional style -- direct, businesslike, informal, etc.?
15. Will you act as an advocate for my child, and, if so, in what ways?
16. How much experience have you had in working with children like my child -- similar age, similar problem?
17. In what ways will you communicate/cooperate with school personnel (counselors, advisors, administrators, learning specialists) to help them understand and solve my child’s problems?
18. What role will parents play in this process from start to finish?
19. Is a normal session 60 minutes? If not, how long is it?